Best Career Tips: Career related services and advices

Sunday, December 23rd, 2012

33. Career Update UK (13.11.2014.)

Recruitment disaster possible

Read

“Poor implementation of last year’s major review of postgraduate medical education and training could have “a disastrous impact” on the future recruitment of doctors, trainees have warned. Doctors on the trainee committees of four royal medical colleges have published a joint statement in response to the UK-wide Shape of Training review, which was led by David Greenaway, vice chancellor of Nottingham University, and published in October 2013. The trainees welcomed many aspects of the review, including its recommendations for broad based training and increased flexibility during training. But they warned that the proposals would not “solve the current problem at the front door of medicine.” “If we get this wrong it will have a disastrous impact on future recruitment of doctors, and therefore patient care,” they said. “We must not forget the lessons of Modernising Medical Careers (MMC).”

“The public is being urged to turn to pharmacies instead of hospitals this winter amid fears that overcrowding is heading towards record levels. The Health Secretary said hospitals are under “huge pressure” and that it would not be sustainable for Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments to keep coping with rising demand. He issued the warning as Prof Sir Bruce Keogh, the country’s most senior doctor appealed to the public to make more use of pharmacies when unwell, to reduce “unprecedented” strain on GPs and casualty units. The joint plea came as they announced an extra £300m to help struggling NHS services pay for extra beds and staff. New figures show a substantial rise in the number of patients arriving at A&E, and those being admitted as an emergency, compared with this time last year. The situation is likely to worsen as the weather gets colder, and increasing numbers fall ill with flu, chest infections and norovirus. Health officials said hospitals are struggling to cope with rising numbers of frail elderly patients, and expressed concern about current levels of crowding in hospitals. Infection control experts advise that bed occupancy should not rise higher than 85 per cent because of an increased risk of superbugs when there is not enough time to clean beds properly between patients. Last winter the national figure reached a record high of 89.5 per cent in general and acute wards. Senior officials said hospitals are now struggling with higher rates of occupancy than would be expected for this time of year, which they warned was a “predictor of difficulty” for the months ahead. Latest published figures for April to June show several hospitals were working at occupancy rates of more than 97 per cent, even when conditions were at their mildest. Mid Staffordshire NHS foundation trust, Birmingham Children’s Foundation trust, Leeds Community Healthcare trust, Countess of Chester trust and the Rotherham NHS Foundation trust all had occupancy levels beyond 97 per cent during the period….”